Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Behind the Scenes: Making Artwork!

Ever wondered how artwork throughout Poptropica is made? Check it out!

Everything starts with a sketch. Look at how many versions Abigail drew of that super awesome Mythology scene just to start! These small, quick sorts of drawings are called "thumbnails," and making them helps an artist figure out what they want a drawing to look like before they've put all the time and effort into making all those beautiful colors and details!

Once the rest of the art team has agreed that the sketches are looking awesome and ready to go to the next step, we shift gears and put it in color and (drumroll please) vector format!

What's a vector? It's a special, unique way you can make images on a computer. Instead of needing to save every single pixel in a picture, vectors draw and color pictures with math! (Bet you didn't see THAT coming.) Vectors are what make Poptropica possible. The whole game uses them to run! That's right, guys. We wouldn't have Poptropica without math.

Look at the finished drawing! It's exciting! It's dynamic! It's heroic! Thanks to every stage of planning and our artists working together, it's the best that it can be! With each member of the team looking offering constructive critique and their own ideas, the whole game looks all the better.